


Night Encounters

by still_lycoris



Category: X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014) - Fandom
Genre: Angst, Canon Compliant, Community: hc_bingo, Gen, Jealousy, Platonic Cuddling, Platonic bed sharing, Sleepy Cuddles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-29
Updated: 2015-07-29
Packaged: 2018-04-11 22:40:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,001
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4455212
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/still_lycoris/pseuds/still_lycoris
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hank hadn't put much thought into how other poeple would view his and Charles's living arrangements until they met up with Erik again ...</p>
            </blockquote>





	Night Encounters

Sometimes, you didn’t realise how strange your life had become until there were other people to witness it.

Hank only realised the decided oddity of his own life – well, the most recent oddity anyway – when they reached Paris and Charles booked two rooms in the hotel he’d picked. A twin bedroom for Logan and Erik. A double for himself and Hank.

Erik’s face stayed blank, like he didn’t care. One of Logan’s eyebrows twitched, as though he was longing to ask but of course, he didn’t. Hank didn’t meet his eyes, just in case. He hoped he wasn’t blushing. He hated blushing, people looked at you and knew just what you were feeling and then asked why …

And in this particular case, there was no way that he wanted to be asked.

They went to their rooms in silence. It was a good hotel, of course. Charles would only ever stay somewhere good. The room was large and the bed was huge – you could quite easily sleep two in it and not touch all night. 

Unless you wanted to.

They washed and changed in silence. Hank got into bed first, enjoying how it felt. Clean sheets had become a bit of a rarity in the mansion. He did his best but there was so much else to do and Charles didn’t really seem to care so it had fallen into being one of those chores that seemed largely pointless in the grand scheme of things. Perhaps he ought to rethink that, this was certainly a good sensation.

Charles got into bed with a small sigh. He moved instantly to Hank’s side and Hank held out his arm automatically. Charles burrowed against him; the usual squirm and tuck until he was in the position they had both deemed right after many nights of practise. Hank turned out the light and they lay quietly, Hank listening to the familiar sound of Charles breathing.

How long had they been doing this? Hank couldn’t even remember now. Charles had been having nightmares, so many nightmares and Hank had come in to comfort him and after a while, it had just seemed less important to go back to his own room. Charles always went quiet when he was held. It was as though all he really needed was to know he wasn’t alone. And Hank had liked that too, if he was honest. The mansion had become so quiet; a building full of ghosts. He had always thought there was no such thing as ghosts but now he wasn’t so sure. Perhaps a ghost was just the memory of what had gone before – and the unhappy reflections for the people left behind.

But Charles had needed him and that had given him something to focus on. He’d _liked_ holding Charles close to him and feeling his warmth, listening to his breathing in the dark. When he woke up from his own nightmares, he could reach out and find Charles there and know that he was all right. He had half-woken a few times to feel Charles doing the same, making sure that Hank as still alive. That Hank hadn’t left.

They’d just got used to it. They were both comforted by it. It wasn’t sexual, at least not on Hank’s part and he was pretty certain not on Charles’s either. It was just … necessary. Good and warm and the closest thing to happiness that either of them could find.

Charles shifted against him, hair tickling Hank’s chin. His hand came up to curl into a loose fist on Hank’s chest. He was clearly asleep. Hank sighed and closed his own eyes. There was no point thinking about this. They both needed to be rested before tomorrow. Lying awake did nobody any good. If he just listened to Charles’s breathing, that would help. It always did.

He wasn’t sure if he’d really slipped into doze or not when he heard the soft click from the door. He knew what it was at once and only just stopped himself sitting up. He didn’t want to wake Charles.

Erik stood in the room, staring down at them both. Hank stared back silently, strangely aware of every part of Charles that was touching him. He knew how it had to look to Erik. Knew how it had to look to anybody but especially to Erik. Charles had long ago told him exactly what Erik had meant to him and Hank had listened and helped Charles through it as best he could. Charles hadn’t mentioned it in a long time though.

He didn’t care what Erik thought. Why should they care? Erik had abandoned them. You didn’t get to parade your jealousy around like it meant something when you’d left somebody to die, no matter what happened after.

He didn’t bother to speak. He deliberately moved, rolling over and pulling Charles against him. Charles gave a contented sigh, readjusting himself, the way he always did. Charles knew every inch of Hank by now.

Erik said nothing. Hank could feel his eyes boring into them both for a long, long moment. Then Hank heard him turn and then footsteps leave the room, clicking the door shut afterwards. Hank tried to settle down again but knew it was going to be hard to sleep. He kept thinking about Erik’s cold stare, kept thinking about what Erik had to be thinking right now. He hated to be stared at. He hated to be under scrutiny like that, he didn’t want … he couldn’t stand …

“Hank … ”

Charles’s voice was thick with sleep. He pawed at Hank gently.

“All stiff,” he scolded. “Everything’s fine.”

He nuzzled against Hank again, settling down again. Hank knew he wouldn’t remember in the morning – Charles often spoke when he was half-asleep, often talking rubbish but sometimes coming out with something that seemed wise, until you remembered he was asleep. It was still strangely comforting though. 

Perhaps tomorrow, they would have Raven with them again.

Perhaps tomorrow, everything really would be fine.

**Author's Note:**

> Written for hc_bingo prompt "cuddling." Also fufilling [this](http://xmen-firstkink.livejournal.com/11912.html?thread=23018632#t23018632) prompt from the kink meme:


End file.
